World of Mages

Talon happily made his way through the estate, but nearing the main gate his mood dampened considerably; that stupid Fire Mage, Matilda was there. Despite him being behind a wall and facing away she was obviously waiting for him.

"I know you're there, Talon," she called out, reading the situation. "I'm going to give you a second chance; you and your family." Upon hearing this, Talon's eyes widened. Matilda was indeed a powerful Mage, would she really take it out on his family if he didn't join her…?

To Talon it seemed ridiculous, however it was quite normal for this to occur. Mages hold enormous power in society, Apprentices, however do not. Unlike the squires of Knights, Apprentices do not gain the authority of their masters by simply being an Apprentice. No power or authority is given until they are full-fledged Magicians.

Thus, choosing Apprentices is very important for Mages. For any Mage to see a good seed like Talon, wasting away in a noble's lifestyle, would be enough for them to take action.

Talon, having no outside experience was angered by her words, instead of coming out obediently like Matilda expected he simply ran past her toward the town.

Matilda's face changed from smug to furious all too quickly, but she was still a mythril tier Mage and instead of exploding, she walked coldly after him.

Talon only slowed after the Treasure Shop came into sight. He turned his head to glance behind and was immediately knocked to the ground by an unseen force.

Landing face first Talon slid several feet before coming to a halt.

"Ow~" Talon mumbled through a mouthful of dirt.

"Listen kid, the world of magic is not a happy place, one day you could be a noble with a large manor... the next you could offend Mage and be left with nothing but a burning estate!"

Matilda told him coldly,

"Only with the protection of someone strong can you live in these times!"

The townspeople had noticed their confrontation and quickly left the streets.

"I won't become your apprentice!" Talon shouted, "I've seen the way you look at my family and our town, you're nothing but a bully!"

Truthfully, Matilda hadn't come for Talon specifically. In the Kingdom of Lagton the highest ranked Mage was actually only at Advanced Iron. Whereas Matilda was Minor Mithril, the difference in rank was massive.

The Fire Mage glared down at the boy, the word 'bully' nearly making her explode.

"Here's a lesson to you, not from a Master, but from a passing Mage with goodwill!" Matilda thrust her hand in his direction.

A needle like stream of fire split the air between them. Talon could not respond due to the shock of being attacked in such a way.

The fire swirled about before diving into his left eye causing Talon to scream in pain.

After watching the boy writhe for a time, Matilda waves her hand back, the flames retreating quickly.

Talon eventually looked up, shocked to find he could still see through both eyes. An illusion?

"That flame was real, you know," Matilda's voice drifted over,

"It's known as the Agony Spell, causing immense pain with no side affects."

She strode over and reached down to grab the boy, but stopped an inch from his scruff, and looked up with narrowed eyes. Talon glanced behind to see an elderly man standing nearby.

Talon was once again speechless.

It was the man from yesterday, Glock.

Matilda was also surprised, the elder was certainly not there moments ago.

What's more... she could sense he was a Mage, but could not tell was rank he was.

Fire Mages had high sensitivity to magic energy, but Matilda, even at Mithril rank could not discern this man's level.

"While I do agree that the boy needed to be taught what a Mage's life truly is, your methods are a bit much."

Glock said softly, before Matilda could reply he continued,

"As someone who is familiar with Master Almu's matters," Matilda's eyes were reduced to slits by now.

"I'll let it slide, but you have an hour to leave this Realm if you don't want to be taught the same kind a lesson!"

Glock's voice became increasingly cold as he spoke. Matilda was furious at his words, but she could tell this man was strong... stronger than her by quite a margin.

With a curt twist she walked away stiffly. Glock sighed and shook his head, before walking up to Talon with a saddened expression.